Drums of War

for several hours by then. The horse will deserve a good feed and a long rest.'

'What happened to your own horse?'

'I had to trade it in to buy this coach.'

'We must pay something of the cost,' said Amalia, seriously. 'It's wrong that you should pay for everything. I have plenty of money as well as my jewellery.'

'Hold on to it in case we need it.'

'Are you sure?'

'I still have some reserves left.'

'Very well, Daniel.'

'And remember that when we're with strangers, I'm not Daniel anymore. I'm Marcel Daron. The others have been warned.'

'I won't forget.'

Sitting close together, neither of them noticed the discomfort of the bare wooden seat or the loud creaking of the vehicle as it swayed to and fro. They were wholly preoccupied with each other. When one wheel hit a deep pothole, however, they were very much aware of it. The coach lurched violently sideways for a second before righting itself with a bump. Amalia was thrown against Daniel and he put an arm around her, pulling her close in a moment of intimacy that caused a frisson in both of them. It was minutes before he released her.

'When we find a suitable inn,' said Daniel at length, 'I suggest that you and Beatrix share one room while your father occupies another with Kees.'

'What about you?'

'I'll sleep in the coach.'

'You can't sleep in this,' she protested.

'One of us has to,' he explained, 'and I'm the only person with any weapons. I want everything of real value to be hidden in the coach in case we're stopped and searched. The tapestry will remain here as well. Someone has to stand guard during the night.'

'But it's so unfair on you.'

'Then you can act as a sentry instead,' he teased.

'We could guard the coach together,' she said, blurting out the suggestion without considering what it would entail.

'I don't think your father would approve of that, appealing as the idea is. In any case, you'll be busy elsewhere, keeping Beatrix under control. If anyone is likely to give us away, it's your servant. You have to watch her carefully.'

'Beatrix is much better since we left Paris.'

'She still needs a close eye kept on her,' he said. 'At the first sign of trouble, I'm afraid that she may let us all down.'

'Then I'll do as you say.'

They rode on in companionable silence for a while, scanning the horizon and feeling a slight chill as the sun was obscured by clouds. Every so often the wheels would squelch through a puddle left by the heavy rain and throw moisture into the air. Though animals grazed in some of the fields, they didn't see anybody else for miles. Daniel was already planning ahead, thinking about the next stage of their journey and trying to work out when and where to cross the French border. Amalia's mind was fixed on something beyond that.

'What will happen when we reach Holland?' she said.

'I'm to take you to The Hague.'

'Why?'

'Because people there wish to hear about your father's stay in France,' said Daniel. 'Nobody else has ever got so close to King Louis. What he can tell us may affect the progress of the war next year.'

'What then?'

'You'll be allowed to return home to Amsterdam and resume your normal life. Once everyone realises that your father didn't betray his country, he'll be seen as something of a hero.'

'I don't think he feels like a hero. He's still very shaken by what happened to him in the Bastille. It will always haunt him.'

'The ugly memories will fade in time, I'm sure.'

'What about you?' she asked. 'If and when you take us back to The Hague, what will you do afterwards?'

'I'll return to my regiment to give a full report.'

'And then?'

'I'll await the return of our commander-in-chief before I can rejoin his staff. Oh,' he added, looking deep into her eyes, 'there is something else I intend to do.'

'And what's that?'

'I'll find time to visit Amsterdam and call on a very special friend.' She laughed in delight. 'Can I have an address, please?'

After a testing march, they set up camp early that evening. The first thing that Hugh Dobbs did was to go to the nearby stream so that he could dangle his bare feet in the water. Tom Hillier sat beside him, letting his own feet get washed by the current.

'We'll have a decent rest at long last,' said Dobbs. 'We'll be here for a few days at least.'

'How do you know that?'

'I overheard Lieutenant Ainsley say so.'

Hillier chuckled. 'One of these days, the lieutenant will catch you listening and box your ears.'

'That's why I always loiter near him. He's never really strict. If I was caught eavesdropping by Major Cracknell,' said Dobbs, 'he wouldn't just box my ears, he'd cut the pair of them off.'

'We haven't seen the major all day,' noted Hillier.

'I daresay he's seen us, Tom.'

'Why is he keeping his distance?'

'He's just biding his time.' Dobbs picked up a stone and tossed it idly into the water. 'Have you heard from Sergeant Welbeck?'

'Not a single word, Hugh.'

'He's a poor bloody uncle.'

'I told you before,' said Hillier. 'He denies there's any family tie between us. I was hurt at first but I've come to see that he's doing me a favour. If I kept turning to him all the time for support, I'd never be my own man.'

'I still think he's letting you down badly, Tom. Ah, well,' he said with an arm around his friend, 'since nobody else will teach you, I'll have to take you under my wing. We'll wait until tomorrow night.'

'What for, Hugh?'

'Didn't you see that town we passed a couple of miles back?'

'Yes, it was very pretty.'

'It's more than pretty,' said Dobbs with a cackle. 'We camped near there two years ago and some of us sneaked into the town for some sport. It was amazing, Tom. It cost me a week's wages but it was worth every bit of it. She was the best I've ever had.'

'What are you talking about?'

'With a brisk walk, we could get there in under half an hour, though it might take us a lot longer to get back to camp.'

'Why?'

'We'll be exhausted, you buffoon.'

Hillier was perplexed. 'I'm not sure that I follow you.'

'Manhood,' said Dobbs. 'I'm talking about satisfying our urges between the warm thighs of a woman. You can't hold on to your virginity for ever, Tom. It's high time you learnt to fuck.'

To reinforce the message, he pushed his friend into the stream with a big splash. The cold water helped to cool Hillier's blushes.